Chapter 100: Beyond the End

Chapter 100: Beyond the End

The Winter War.

The unprecedented event of undead forces invading the heart of the capital was recounted in history for a long time afterward.

However, the world’s destruction, which many had feared, did not occur.

Many things happened, but life continued for each individual, and their will endured.

***

The Empire, having suffered devastating damage, was ultimately unable to recover its former might and disappeared into the annals of history.

A period of chaos ensued for a while.

Whether by chance or foresight, ambitious individuals who had predicted the Empire’s collapse and accumulated power began to compete to become masters of the era.

The new leader who unified the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods was a distant relative of the Emperor, who had previously gone unnoticed.

He used a weapon stronger than any other: legitimacy, recognized and supported by the Emperor himself, to quell the chaos.

The nobles, who had each supported their own Emperor or tried to become Emperor themselves, strongly resisted, unable to agree until the end-

The new Emperor was strong. He abandoned the old order and proclaimed a new Empire, a new order.

However, one competitor did offer sharp criticism towards the new Emperor-

He claimed that the new Emperor was merely a puppet.

Furthermore, he even made the shocking assertion that the person controlling the Emperor from behind the scenes was the notorious Lich, the mastermind behind the Winter War.

He compiled evidence and filed a complaint, but his claims were not accepted by the world.

The noble vanished without a trace, and his accusation naturally sank beneath the surface without much impact.

However, those with keen eyes subtly noticed.

That the Emperor leading the new Empire sometimes cast a shadow on his face.

That there were times when he disappeared somewhere without telling even those closest to him, to have secret and mysterious moments.

Sometimes, a small, pretty girl, like a doll, was seen beside the Emperor.

And strangely enough, on those occasions, the Emperor seemed to devote his heart and obey the girl with the attitude of serving his superior.

Of course, these were stories that the public could never know…

***

During the period of chaos, numerous cities in kingdoms, including the Empire, experienced cycles of prosperity and decline.

Among them, one of the most dazzlingly developed cities was Garden.

Garden, located in the western borderlands, had previously been considered merely a city for transient adventurers, a backward city with little potential for development-

But Garden had a wise leader who could overcome adversity.

The captain of Garden’s guard, showing excellent leadership, gained the support of all and was officially appointed as the mayor.

Garden prohibited discrimination based on status or race, attracting talented individuals from all over the world seeking equality and freedom.

Of course, Garden faced many crises. However, Garden overcame all of them.

The leader, now the mayor, was indeed excellent. However,

Support that could not be explained by his abilities alone also played a significant role.

Thus, a saying circulated in Garden.

That there is a patron saint who will always help Garden if anything happens.

However, it was said that this patron saint was very shy and did not reveal herself to the public.

The mayor would simply laugh and brush off these rumors. He neither confirmed nor denied them.

However, when rumors spread that the patron saint was even using undead to help Garden from behind the scenes, he visibly flustered and wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

***

The Lich disappeared after the Winter War.

During the war, the Lich suffered fatal injuries, and the magician, believed to be immortal, finally perished from this world.

That is how it was recorded in the history books. Though no one could know the truth.

However, even after the Lich’s disappearance, the North continued to build its own formidable power.

The core of this was the Snow Orcs.

The Snow Orcs, led by the Orc Chieftain Jonathan, had now amassed a power that no human could scoff at.

Bright lights illuminated various parts of the North, untouched by civilization, and the cheers of warriors echoed through the snowstorms.

Fortunately for humans, the Orcs had not yet expanded their influence south of the North.

Perhaps they had made a secret pact with the new Empire, or perhaps they were content with the territory they currently ruled. In any case, humans could only speculate vaguely.

However, it was clear that if the Snow Orcs were to rise from the North and fully display their power-

The continent would tremble, and a turmoil comparable to the Winter War would erupt once more.

***

Carmilla, the Vampire Queen and the Lich’s second-in-command, lost her power after losing a power struggle with Jonathan.

Carmilla’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Rumors circulate that she has gone into hiding somewhere in the far North, plotting to regain her power, vowing revenge.

Or, there are also rumors that she’s hiding her identity and working as a cold and prim coffee shop employee in some human kingdom to earn a meager living.

***

Opinions on Michael were divided.

Some praised him as a hero who achieved great deeds, while others condemned him as a notorious villain who usurped power using his fame.

Regardless of their opinions, whether hero or villain, everyone agreed that Michael ultimately failed to prevent the Empire’s crisis at the final moment.

Time passed, and people no longer remembered Michael.

***

Still, life continued for each individual, and their will endured.

***

“Entered the Ancient Shrine.”

“You feel the gaze of an absolute being watching you. This sanctuary does not welcome mortal visitors.”

“Danger Level: Unmeasurable”

***

A peculiar color, as if from another world, shone.

The four of us adventurers, forming a formation, walked along a bizarre ruin that seemed to have come from Cthulhu mythology.

Leading the party was our tank, ‘Wagner.’

He’s a human who resembles a wild bear so much that it’s breathtaking.

Behind him followed ‘Mitchell,’ a beautiful elf martial artist. In the rear were ‘Flora,’ the mage, and me, Estel, the necromancer.

“Nine Stars,” a game where you raise adventurers and save the world.

I’m a hardcore player who has played this game for over ten thousand hours.

So hardcore, in fact, that I’ve not only played the game but have also entered this world myself to write a new story.

It’s been five years since I came to this world. I’ve gained countless experiences in the world of “Nine Stars.”

But I still have a long way to go. I’m far from perfect. It seems that will be the case no matter how much time passes.

My companions are the same.

Wagner, Mitchell, and Flora are not the pinnacle in their respective fields. They are all seasoned veteran adventurers, but they clearly have their shortcomings.

However, I’m satisfied with our party. I’m confident that this combination is the best team that understands me the most and matches me best.

My companions and I continued to advance through the ruins.

I don’t have much information about these ruins. My knowledge from the game has already been surpassed by what’s needed to conquer them.

Complete unknown.

A new horizon that no one has ever experienced.

Therefore, the danger level of these ruins is ‘unmeasurable.’

 ”Entered the Secret Altar of the Ancient Shrine.”

 ”Entered the Realm of the Absolute Being.”

 ”Entered the Hall of Ascension, the innermost part of the Ancient Shrine.”

 ”Warning: The forgotten ancient god Yuan awaits the adventurers.”

“Leave, mortals. No matter how powerful you are, it is meaningless here.”

Finally, I encountered the god of this world.

I felt no particular emotion. I had often exchanged conversations with El, the goddess of death, before.

So I know. Even gods are ultimately beings who have ascended and been reborn from outstanding mortals.

Of course, ascending to godhood is not easy. That’s why no mortal has reached that state in the past few thousand years.

Until now, that is.

“Uncle, won’t you make some room for me now? I’m going to try becoming a god too. You don’t have any followers or a cult anyway. Go rest.”

“⋯How rude!”

As the ancient god erupted in anger, the entire sanctuary rumbled.

Honestly, I’m a little scared.

“Mortal who doesn’t know your place. If you desire it so much… I shall bestow upon you a lesson that will pierce your very bones.”

Fiery eyes blazed in the eyes of the colossal statue.

Dust particles rained down from the sanctuary ceiling, and the statue began to rise from its place with an earthquake-like vibration.

“Hey, kid. Can you win this?”

Mitchell looked around nervously, his face slightly intimidated.

“Hmm? What can we do? We’ve come this far. If we can’t win, we die here together.”

“You’ll just revive even if you die. Are you saying that, damn it!”

Mitchell smacked the back of my head.

“Estel is right. We have no choice but to try.”

Wagner, as usual, finished his words briefly and raised his large artifact shield.

In response, the Archmage Flora-

Yes. Archmage. Believe it or not, Flora is now called Flora, the strongest mage on the continent and the Mistress of the Tower of Space.

I can’t believe it myself. That she would grow this much.

Perhaps Flora is the most talented among us.

Anyway. Archmage Flora unfurled a magnificent magic circle.

“Estel-ssi, leave the defense to me!”

“Okay, I’ll trust you, senpai.”

“BOSS: Ancient God Yuan”

If this were a game, the boss’s health bar would be filling up at the top of the screen. I’ve seen it so much that it’s automatically drawn in my mind.

Today, I will defeat this tedious old god and be reborn as a new god.

I will advance to an unprecedented realm that no one has ever reached.

What should my title as a god be?

-Young & Lich Estel.

Isn’t that appropriate? Ah, but there’s one thing I’m curious about.

Will I still have to use this body even if I become a god?

That would be quite problematic. Although I’m used to this girl’s body now…

“Estel-ssi! Dodge!”

“Kid, what are you doing not concentrating!”

Ah, I almost died while thinking about other things. I can think about the aftermath after I win this fight.

In any case, one thing is certain: the story continues, and the adventures will follow one after another.

Just as they always have.

I Became an Undying Lich in a Game

-The End-